Under stable regulations, the new season is bearing an awful lot of similarities to how 2023 finished. Behind the sovereign Red Bull, Ferrari appears second-quickest, retaining its qualifying pace but adding a huge step in race performance to leap clear of the chasing pack.
After two rounds on vastly different circuits, the race between Mercedes and McLaren remains too close to call, with the strengths and weaknesses of both cars on full display in Saudi Arabia.
Then there is Aston Martin, the revelation of the first half of 2023 that has kept improving but not quite as much as its aforementioned rivals, and therefore slipping to fifth, while a chasm appears to have opened up behind it.
Compared to last year, Alpine is clearly the odd one out, the only team that managed to be slower in Jeddah than it was in 2023 due to its late concept change that presented a sideways step.
On the other spectrum is McLaren, which can vie with RB for the title of most improved team over the past 12 months.
Source: Autosport